Heartbreak for Aussies as Bettylou Sakura Johnson and Filipe Toledo claim Gold Coast Pro wins
Australian surfing great Julian Wilson fell agonisingly close to completing his fairytale return to the World Surf League Championship Tour in one of the all-time great Gold Coast Pro finales. Meanwhile a young gun claimed her first ever world tour victory. Details inside.
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It was a double-dose of heartbreak for Australian surfers in Saturday’s Gold Coast Pro finale as Sally Fitzgibbons and Julian Wilson both suffered defeats in their finals.
In one of the all-time great finals, Brazilian Filipe Toledo claimed a thrilling victory over his Australian rival with the 30-year-old recording a combined score of 17.6 from his two best waves.
Wilson finished agonisingly short of completing a fairytale comeback to the World Surf League Championship Tour as the wildcard entrant scored 17.2 points from his two best waves.
The five-time Championship Tour winner was visibly emotional following his runner-up performance in his first event on the world tour since 2021.
“The fans, the support that I’ve received coming back has been quite emotional, so thank you, everyone for the support,” Wilson said.
“It’s not easy to step away from the thing you love to prioritise your family and watch from the sidelines and these surfers inspire me so much.
“This is what I was born to do, my kids got to share it this week it’s been super, super special, so just super gracious for this opportunity.”
Toledo shared his delight to claim his another Gold Coast Pro title and said it will provide a major boost for the rest of this year’s tour.
“My main goal this year was just to make the cut, and I did that in this event, so definitely felt a little more freedom to surf and a little bit more relaxed,” he said.
In the women’s final, Hawaiian Bettylou Sakura Johnson claimed her first ever Championship Tour victory with a commanding performance against 12-time winner Fitzgibbons.
“This is the best feeling in the world and I’m over the moon to have my first win here on the Gold Coast,” she said.
“This is what winning feels like ... super stoked to get this feeling and I’m so grateful for everything.
“It’s taken a lot, so much hard work and a lot of patience and perseverance to put everything together.
“This year was a really hard year for me dealing with injuries and a whole bunch of other things, but super happy to just pull it together.”
Fitzgibbons was in fine form throughout the competition and looked set to claim her first win on the Championship Tour since 2021 and her first win on the Glitter Strip.
However, Johnson set the tone from the outset in the final with an opening wave score of 8.5 followed by a 6.5 in her next attempt to put the pressure on the Australian.
Fitzgibbons’ best two waves came from her first three attempts with a combined score of 7.83 and was unable to improve on her scores of 4.5 and 3.33 throughout the remainder of the final.
The 34-year-old expressed her gratitude to surf in front of a vocal Australian fanbase throughout the competition.
“I wanted to get it together so bad in that final, it was Betty’s day today, but just to see you all just brought tears my eyes and I felt all that warmth, all that support and encouragement,” Fitzgibbons said at the post-event presentation.
“It’s been a fight and a grind the last few years, but I really want to be here and my deep desire is to keep surfing for this country, for all of you guys, my family’s down here, my friends, this means the world to me and I just want to fight for it.”
Australian surfing legend Stephanie Gilmore threatened to pull off one of the all-time great comebacks to the sport after she defeated world champion Caitlin Simmers in the round of 16.
However, her dream return fell short in the quarter final as Canadian Erin Brooks recorded a stunning combined score of 17.76 from her two best waves to defeat the eight-time world champion.
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Originally published as Heartbreak for Aussies as Bettylou Sakura Johnson and Filipe Toledo claim Gold Coast Pro wins
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